Adaumbelle's Quest was created to ask performers the everyday burning questions others are too afraid to ask, but secretly want to know. NEW POSTS go up every SUNDAY (with surprises in between)! Be sure to check back…

Ryan Scott Oliver is an award winning lyricist and composer to keep watching! He is the recipient of the 2009 Jonathan Larson Grant as well as the winner of the 2007 Margo Lion Award for Excellence in Adaptation (along with Kirsten Guenther who wrote the book) and the 2008 Richard Rogers Award for writing the music and lyrics to “Mrs. Sharp,” which ran at Playwrights Horizons in July 2009 starring Tony Award Winner Jane Karkowski. His other awards include the first ever ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Award for Excellence in Lyric Writing, the John Denver New Composers Award, and the Looking Glass Theatre Favorite Award for “Out of My Head” (Book by Kirsten Guenther). He wrote the Music and Lyrics to “Darling” (Book by B.T. Ryback), “A Day in Space (Book by Brian Paul Mendoza), the Music to “Angus Oblong’s The Debbies” (Book/Lyrics by Gordon Leary), the Book and Lyrics to “Circle Nine” (Music by Brian Valencia), the Book, Music, and Lyrics (along with B.T. Ryback) to “Quit India,” which was commissioned by UCLA. Ryan’s work has also been heard on the hit YouTube TV show “The Battery’s Down” as well as in showcases presented by Summer Play Festival (SPF), The York Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, New York Theatre Barn, Monday Nights New Voices (produced by fellow “Adaumbelle’s Quest” participant Scott Alan), and the Festival of New American Musicals in Los Angeles. Most recently, Ryan Scott Oliver presented evenings of his work, with a host of Broadway talents at Los Angeles’ Boston Court Performing Arts Center, Joe’s Pub in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. He is currently working on “35mm,” a multimedia musical exhibition based on photographs by Matthew Murphy, as well as “We the People” which has been commissioned by Broadway Across America for TheatreWorks USA and is supposed to be presented Off-Broadway in 2010. To find out more on Ryan Scott Oliver be sure to visit: http://www.ryanscottoliver.com or TheBestArts for Ryan’s dedicated page with footage of his music being performed by Broadway’s talent.

1. Who inspired you to become a performer? All my teachers in middle school and high school, especially the ones that are in jail now.

2. When did you realize you wanted to become a songwriter/composer? It started in vitro, but I couldn’t bring the piano out with me during birth—so I didn’t come back to it till middle school, but seriously began working when I was a Junior in high school when I began work on the epic musical of The Crucible. In college, I realized that I would never get the rights over Arthur Miller’s dead body, but then fortunately, he died. Unfortunately, I still don’t have the rights.

3. Who is the one person you’d like to have sing your songs that hasn’t already? Gavin Creel. I need his voice like you need to try the Black and White cake at Amy’s Bread in the West Village.

4. Do you have any strange or unusual talent that no one knows about? I can flick my tongue freakishly fast. Too bad that’s completely of no use to me. And I know morse code, dit-dah-dit.

5. Favorite way to stay in shape? I keep my “shape” (and I use the term loosely) by going to the gym 4 times a week, for roughly 4 months out of the year.

6. Boxers or Briefs? Boxer-briefs! Duh!

7. Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts? What do you order? Starbucks because Dunkin’ Donuts I associate with being careless and fat. Starbucks I associate with being careless and rich. Clearly the latter is more attractive. Unless I’m at the airport, in which case I visit Dunkin Donuts, because if you’re going to propel yourself 36,000 miles in the air where it’s better to be whetted than wealthy.

8. Favorite musician/singer? Awfully fond of Rufus Wainwright, Jason Mraz, and The Killers. Among so many others!

9. Favorite website? I like StraightDope.com a lot. Chockfull of useless, intriguing information that makes any dumb person feel brilliant. Also great for long nights of insomnia (it tires your mind OUT). And of course I’m also particularly fond of the brand new writer’s blog crazytownblog.com. 🙂 Wink.